12Th National Gathering of United Methodist Men a Letter from the General Secretary
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Volume 20 • Number 4 Fall 2017 The magazine of United Methodist Men 12th National Gathering of United Methodist Men A letter from the General Secretary Reflections on the 12th National Gathering I was very pleased with the National Six bish- Gathering. ops attended Apparently, that joy was shared by all along with who attended. several mem- As you know this gathering was in a bers of the new place, and we used a new model for board of the event. directors of The place was St. Luke’s UMC in the General Indianapolis. They were perfect hosts. The Commission facility was awesome, the staff, and about on UM Men. 100 volunteers were outstanding. We There could not have picked a better place, and were guys many attendees expressed a strong desire from Alaska to Florida and from southern to return to St. Luke’s for our next national California to Maine. event. As you will read in this issue, it was a The format is one taken from the expe- great event. For many reading this issue, riences of South Carolina UM Men. This you will get to re-live what you experi- model allows for more personal choice enced; but for many more your reading in where you stay, eat, and what ses- may lead to an “I-wish-I-had-come” sions you selected to attend to meet your response. interests. There was a wonderful list of For those of you who did come, it was possibilities: four major speakers, 19 dif- great to be with you. For those of you ferent workshops, three hands-on mission who were not there, I want you to know projects, spirit-filled worship, and a large that we planned for you and you were number of ministries represented in the missed. ministry fair. DVD’s of the event can be ordered, We had excellent support from other and watch for multiple webinars hosted UM agencies and entities, and we wel- by some of our workshop leaders in the comed several guys who head up men’s months ahead. ministries in other denominations. I was The most common comment from the particularly blessed to have representatives event was, “God showed up!” from two very different “think tanks”: Project 12, a multi-denominational group, and the Southeast Jurisdiction’s Younger Striving to be a servant, Men; now including guys from other areas Gil Hanke of the U.S. United Methodist Men exists to declare the centrality of Christ in every man’s life. contents Vol. 20, No. 4 Fall 2017 UM Men Fall 2017 Copyright © 2017 General Commission on United Methodist Men FEATURES UMMen magazine is published four times a year, winter, spring, 5 12th National Gathering of UM Men summer and fall by GCUMM: General Commission on United Methodist Men 8 Become the “More” 1000 17th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37212 Bring it to God (866) 297-4312 9 Internet address: http://www.gcumm.org 10 Be a part of the solution to violence Publisher: Gilbert C. Hanke against women Editor: Richard Peck Contributing Editor: Larry Coppock 11 Christian conferencing is a forgotten Editorial Assistants: Martha Davis discipline says scholar Nancy G. Self 13 Bishop invites men to become stabilizers Graphic Design: Linda Robertson, Parris Printing 14 Across the nation Change of Address: Send the mailing label with your new address to: 25 UM Men present devotional books to first UMMen responders and military troops 1000 17th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 340-7145 82 Organizer of city wide celebration named to Allow six weeks for changes. SFS board Advertising: Contact Richard Peck 30 Dad’s Zone 1000 17th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 620-7264 31 MENS NEWS e-mail: [email protected] 35 SCOUTING NEWS Advertisements in UMMen do not constitute endorsement by UMMen, General Commission on United Methodist Men or The United Methodist Church. Advertisers and their agencies assume liability for all content of advertisements printed or representations made therein. The cover photo and all photos from the Subscription: Subscriptions are $25 a year National Gathering without photo credits (4 issues). Bulk subscriptions available. were taken by Bob Vogt. Send check or money order to: UMMen Subscription Fulfillment 1000 17th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37212 Editor’s note: This magazine includes (615) 340-7145 articles from individuals who hold diverse Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture opinions. We hope all articles are thought contained herein is from The New Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1989, 1995. provoking; they are not necessarily the Used by permission. All rights reserved. opinions of the General Commission Articles without bylines are written by GCUMM staff. on UM Men. UM MEN | Fall 2017 | 3 his was my event put me on crutches for a month. Tfifth National It was an inconvenient time to be Gathering of UM hobbled, but a great time to find out Men. how sensitive and helpful UM men can I had the be. opportunity to What a great event. attend two previ- I never saw the racetrack that hosts ous gatherings at the Indianapolis 500, but I did see a Purdue University race car that entered the event and I from the editor from in Indiana and saw men racing hand-crank Mobility two at Belmont Worldwide carts designed for Third University in Nashville. World countries. I saw some of the 600 I’m not sure I can say the gathering attendees run potatoes to trucks from at St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis was food distribution centers, and men my favorite, but I can say that I have building handicap ramps. never attended a gathering where the I also heard four stirring platform hosts were more gracious and helpful. speeches and listened to men tell about This was also the first conference I the helpful ideas they received in 19 attended on crutches, a temporary con- workshops. dition caused by my own stupidity. I It’s a joy to now share information annually participate in the Tennessee with those of you who were unable to Senior Olympics, and I survived cycling, attend the assembly in Indianapolis. several track events, the high jump, The following photos and articles will triple jump and a javelin throw without not do justice to the actual events, but injury. they may give you a glimpse into some No intelligent person can get injured of the insights gained during our two- in a swim event, but I managed to do day stay in Indianapolis. so by jumping in the pool for a back- I am indebted to Bob Vogt who stroke event. I caught my foot on the provided most of the photos of the deck causing my knee to bend in a way gathering. a knee is not designed to bend. The – Rich Peck UM Men race Mobility Worldwide carts in the parking lot of St. Luke’s UMC. Videos of the gathering are available by calling 615/620-7269. 4 | Fall 2017 | UM MEN The 12th National Gathering of UM Men — July 7-8, 2017 Fifty-four United Methodist men delivered “Discipleship –– The Contact Sport” was the 21,000 pounds of white potatoes to eight theme of the 2017 gathering. The logo occupies local agencies and three UM churches. It center stage of St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis, took 60 minutes to unload the truck and 90 and the concept was at the core of the four ple- minutes to load smaller trucks for churches nary addresses, 19 workshops, and three mission and agencies. Wade Mays, a staff member projects. of the Society of St. Andrew, coordinated the distribution. Indianapolis, home of the “Indianapolis 500,” served as the host city for the gathering. This is the same site as a similar national gathering of Methodist Men in 1913. The Rev. Robert Fuquay, pastor of the host St. Luke’s UMC, led a workshop on flags used in auto racing and how they relate to the signals God send us in our fast-paced lives. The 630 people registered for the event were impressed and grateful for the church staff and volunteers who made two days in July comfortable and memorable. UM MEN | Fall 2017 | 5 Men join with join with Servants at Work (SAWs), a ministry of St. Luke’s UMC, that constructs wheelchair ramps. Many of the men involved in the project were from Parkway UMC in Milton, Mass. UM Men join with Mobility Worldwide to assemble hand-crank Personal Energy Transportation (PET) carts. The three-wheel vehicles provide mobility for people in Third World nations who are unable to walk. Photo by Heather Hahn, UMNS. 6 | Fall 2017 | UM MEN Chris Karabinos leads a workshop on reaching youth and young adults. Participants could attend three of 19 workshops. Mark Barrow, executive director of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, serves as music director for the assembly. Gil Hanke (left) and Larry Coppock (right) present Nick Hiratsuka with a Good Samaritan Award. Nick was honored for producing “It’s Not Just a Joke, Stop Cyberbullying” a video produced for his Eagle project. A high school senior in Tucson, Ariz., Nick serves on the technology team at St Mark’s UMC and is president of his high school film and television club. He also par- ticipates in a community theater group featured in the video. He led a workshop on cyberbullying. UM MEN | Fall 2017 | 7 Become ‘the more’ We can’t expect others to change if we are not willing to change, Bishop James Swanson tells those attending the 12th National Gathering. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.–– At the conclusion of his July 7 address, e could become better people if we the bishop gave the assembly a promise, Wwould be willing to drop old habits, “Even when we think God is unwilling to attitudes and values, said Bishop James E.